Sleepless In Manhattan
Shot from atop the Empire State Building NYC back in the early 90`s. Shot on Fuji Reala color print film on a Canon EOS 100 SLR, I converted the image to BW in...
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Shot from atop the Empire State Building NYC back in the early 90`s. Shot on Fuji Reala color print film on a Canon EOS 100 SLR, I converted the image to BW in Photoshop CS2.
The wind was so strong up there I had to jam my light tripod against the wall with my knee... out of the 7 shots I took that evening (about 11 PM), this is the only one that turned out sharp enough to use. I got lucky :-)
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The wind was so strong up there I had to jam my light tripod against the wall with my knee... out of the 7 shots I took that evening (about 11 PM), this is the only one that turned out sharp enough to use. I got lucky :-)
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Jan, 2015Views
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Awards
Top Shot Award 22
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Contest Finalist in New York City Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Foto Digital Volume 3 Photo Contest
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Billyboy
March 13, 2015
When I got the reel developed I was totally unimpressed with the color original of this shot. The BW version here has been tweaked many times over the years till I think now it`s finally the way I want it and I`m gonna def leave it alone now. For sure. I think. In the meantime, cheers for the appreciation :-)
Billyboy
June 30, 2015
Thanks Jonanna, and you're right… the color version didn't quite have the Gotham City Gershwin vibe:-) Thanks for the great comment!
Billyboy
July 02, 2015
In my dreams. But that's a pretty cool thing to say. Cheers for the appreciation !!
PRO
elued29
February 02, 2016
absolutely wonderful view and the same is your shot...
looks as in the best American films.
bravo!
looks as in the best American films.
bravo!
Billyboy
February 10, 2017
Thanks so much for that appreciation... sorry it took me a year to get back to you, just been a bit hectic these days :-)
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken atop the Empire State Building in New York City. The conditions were not ideal, the wind was so strong I had to brace my light tripod against the mezzanine wall with my knee to keep it still. I'd taken 5 other shots with different views on the night, but this was the only one that came out sharp.Time
It was 11:00 PM, the last stop of a tour of the city and just before the building closed for visitors. An interesting moment in time as business hours were well over, but there were enough lights still lit in the windows to confirm that New York is indeed a city that never sleeps. I feel that it was the hour of day that contributed most to creating the dynamic that makes the shot unique.Lighting
I don't recall having seen any other shot of NYC where the light mist or lingering smog at night enhanced the lighting by creating pockets of intense light in contrast with deep shadow and accentuated the beams from the spotlights on several of the buildings. The effect was surreal and I was happy that I managed to capture that as it actually was at the time.Equipment
The shot was taken with a Canon EOS 100 film camera with Fuji Reala color print film. I wasn't happy with the result until I scanned the negative with a Canon FS 2710 film scanner and converted the digital version to black & white. Tripod was a Slick aluminum portable that I was lucky enough to be able to use for the shot. In the main lobby on the ground floor, security prohibited me from using it to take a shot of the elevator hall. Lens was a standard 24-80 mm zoom at the 24 mm end. Shutter speed was probably about 1/4 sec. at f5,6 but I didn't write it down so not absolutely certain. No flash was used.Inspiration
The inspiration as simply being there at that magical moment in time when the enormity of the vista before me would simply not allow me to pass on the opportunity.Editing
To be perfectly honest, this picture has undergone many tweaks. Using Photoshop CS3, aside from the BW conversion (simply desaturated) I selected areas in which I adjusted the levels and contrast. The picture was actually taken about 20 years ago and since that time I repeatedly came back to it and made more tweaks as I learned more techniques till finally I decided it needed to be left alone. Most recently I straightened the buildings on the extremities of the frame that were converged as a result of using the wide angle focal length. I also eliminated as much of the original film grain as I could without sacrificing detail.In my camera bag
Since i converted to digital shooting, my bag has my Canon EOS 5D MkIII with EF 24-105L mm kit lens, EF 100 mm f 2,8 macro (which serves beautifully as a portrait lens in spite of the clunky pre-USM autofocus) and my favorite EF 16-35L mm. Other gear is a 580 EXII Speedlight flash with my latest purchase: a Gary Fong diffuser which I've yet to put to use and can't wait :-). I also carry a Polaris exposure meter, spare battery packs and charger, spare Flash cards, a flashlight, mini tripod, dust brush and some filters that I haven't used since discovering Photoshop.Feedback
My advice for anyone taking a night shot off a skyscraper? If at all possible, choose your time of day and weather conditions. There are a gazillion shots of big cities from tall buildings out there… the more unique yours is, the better. And at that height it's ALWAYS windy. So definitely bring a tripod. Even if security tells you you can't :-)
